From Yellowstone National Park where baby bison
are popping up in the prairie This is that Scott
guy you know and love with a brand new episode
of this week in Yellowstone What's up everybody
this week in Yellowstone National Park from April
9th to April 15th 2026 I will share with you
why this is the last calm week in the park, tell
you not to leave a pullout when the animals go
away, discuss bear management areas, and hope
to inspire you to go for a hike. I'll also give
you the complete weather forecast, the snowpack
update, the wildlife report, and everything else
you need to have an incredible time this week
in Yellowstone. Standard disclaimer. I may miss
a few details here and there. I also mention
park locations very casually, so if you're unfamiliar
with anything I say, a quick search can help,
or you can just reach out to me with any questions
you may have. Please note that this report only
covers the drivable areas of the park. Finally,
This podcast is a passion project. I'm not paid
or sponsored for it. If you enjoy it, I'd love
a review or a quick email. If you want to support
my work, check out my hiking and wildlife watching
guidebooks or join me for a guided hiking tour
in Yellowstone's backcountry. For more information
on all of this, visit Outdoor -Society .com or
just contact me directly. That is TheOutdoorSociety
at gmail .com or area code 406 -589. 1873 for
text messages. Seriously though, pick up guidebooks,
review this podcast, and book a trail tour with
me. You won't regret it. This week's Yellowstone
news. It's really only two major stories that
I'll cover this week, so here we go. The first
is that traffic delays are expected over the
Gardiner River Bridge. Construction on the Gardiner
River High Bridge located east of Mammoth is
set to begin on April 13th. and it's going to
continue through October. Visitors traveling
between Mammoth and Tower should expect delays
of up to 15 minutes at any time of the day as
traffic will be reduced to a single lane and
controlled by a signal. In addition to these
delays, there will be five planned overnight
closures between late May and July 1st, with
road access shut down from 9 p .m. to 4 a .m.
Once I get those dates, I'll let you guys know,
so hang in there. Also know that there are also
important restrictions to be aware of during
this construction. Vehicles exceeding 8 feet
6 inches in width, 75 feet in length, or 80 ,000
pounds gross vehicle weight will not be allowed
to pass through this section of road. The other
main story right now doesn't really impact this
week, it impacts next week, but I just want to
give a heads up about it. Interior roads are
going to start opening up on the 17th of this
month. Select roads in Yellowstone National Park
are scheduled to open to public vehicles at 8
a .m. on friday april 17th marking a major step
of transitioning from winter to summer tourism
the first roads to open right now are going to
be the west entrance and that will be open to
old faithful and all the way up to mammoth so
mammoth hot springs down to norris all the way
down to old faithful will be open and also norris
to canyon is going to be open on the 17th at
8 a .m Additional roads begin opening phases
through May with the east entrance over Sylvan
Pass as well as Hayden Valley usually opening
around May 1st, that's the scheduled date, then
that's followed by the south entrance on May
8th and then by May 22nd all the park roads should
be open if the weather cooperates. But right
now on the 17th of this month of April the road
From Mammoth all the way down to Old Faithful
and out to Canyon will be open and the west entrance
to Old Faithful Canyon and Mammoth will be open
8 a .m. April 17th. I'll talk about it again
next week My experience of the week Enjoying
the last calm week So there's a very short window
each spring in Yellowstone that feels completely
different from the rest of the year It's happening
right now and this is the last week that it's
going to happen because once the roads open,
as I just talked about, traffic starts to steadily
climb for the summer tourism season. After this
week, visitation is going to start ramping up
quickly. National Park Service stats say that
Yellowstone receives the vast majority of its
more than four million annual visitors between
late May and September, and those numbers begin
to rise sharply as the interior roads open on
the 17th. This shift is literally just around
the corner, just talked about it, and that's
why this week is kind of that last little bit
of seclusion or calmness. For now, things are
just chill and it's great. It doesn't mean that
the park's completely empty, so don't assume
it will be, but know that it's not that crowded.
You're gonna see lots of people at pullouts if
there's wolves or grizzlies or baby bison or
something like that. That part is never going
to change in Yellowstone. But outside of those
moments, the roads are quiet in a way that's
hard to find later in the year. Traffic is very
light. You can drive for miles without seeing
another car. The camper vans and long lines of
summer haven't arrived yet. Tour groups are still
around but even those feel spaced out especially
away from those animal sightings. Most of the
time it's just you, the road, and a landscape
that's starting to green up. The truth is that
right now there's no shortage of things to see.
Wildlife is one of the biggest reasons to be
here this week. The northern range is especially
active. Grizzly bears are emerging from torpor
and are being spotted regularly. Even black bears
are out. The grizzlies are feeding on winter
-killed animals or moving across open hillsides
and digging for roots. Wolves have been visible
almost every day in recent weeks, sometimes close
enough to watch without spotting scopes or binoculars.
This level of consistency doesn't usually last
into the busier months. Bison are also entering
one of the most iconic seasons. Calving has begun,
and those small, reddish -orange newborns, often
called red dogs, are starting to appear across
the valleys. Bison calves are typically born
from April through June, with a peak activity
in the early part of that window. And guess what?
That's April. April and May, there's baby bison
everywhere. Seeing them take their first steps
is one of those moments that just sticks with
you and is so cool. And then when they get like
the zoomies and run around, it's awesome. And
you're going to be able to see that right now
without a lot of other people around. Beyond
wildlife, the landscape itself is starting to
shift. Lower elevation trails on the northern
range are mostly snow -free, opening up hiking
opportunities that feel surprisingly remote for
this time of year. You can walk a short distance
from the road and find yourself completely alone.
It's a rare chance to experience Yellowstone's
backcountry without feeling like you have to
really work to be by yourself. And honestly,
like I say this, it's true, but even in the height
of summer, solitude and seclusion are very easily
found. If you are traveling in the summer and
that's something you're craving, reach out to
me. I will hook you up. Better yet, book a tour.
I will take you to places that no one else goes
to that are truly stunning. So remember that
during your visit during the summer. Spring is
just here right now and right now is a good time
to see it. Migratory birds are returning, there's
sounds everywhere, ospreys are beginning to reclaim
their nesting sites, songbirds are more active
in the mornings, across the grasslands the first
hint of green are starting to show through, and
Even the wildflowers are starting to appear.
I was out on a hike the other day and I saw the
early wildflowers and it was awesome. So it's
a subtle reminder at first and it's easy to miss
if you're not looking closely, but spring is
here and this is the time to see it. What makes
this week special is balance. You still have
the feeling of early spring, with wildlife concentrated
and landscape in transition, but without the
full arrival of all of the people that want to
see the park. It's a version of Yellowstone that
feels open, quiet, and most importantly, it's
unhurried. That's going to change quickly, as
roads open toward Old Faithful, Norris, and Grand
Canyon of Yellowstone, the park expands overnight.
More people arrive, People have a checklist that
they have to go see everything, traffic increases,
people's patience starts wearing thin, and the
energy shifts from a quiet observation to full
summer activity. Now there's absolutely nothing
wrong with summer activity. Summer in Yellowstone
is amazing and magical in its own right. But
this week offers something different. It's one
last chance to see the park before it transitions
to true tourism season. This is the time to experience
wildlife without as much pressure, to stand in
a pullout and hear nothing but wind, distant
water, or to hike a trail and not see another
person. If you've ever thought about visiting
Yellowstone in the shoulder season, this is that
moment. Just know that it's not going to last
long. My tip of the week. Spend time at pullouts
after everyone leaves. Spending time watching
wildlife in Yellowstone teaches you something
pretty quickly. Animals aren't on your schedule.
I mean, obviously, right? They don't show up
just because you pulled into a turnout and they
don't wait around for you to get a good picture
of them. Instead, everything out here works in
waves. There are moments when the landscape feels
full of life, and then long stretches where nothing
seems to be happening. And then, just when it
feels like it's over and everyone gives up, it
starts up again. Most people have heard the basics.
Early morning and evening are usually the best
time to see wildlife. National Park Service on
their website points out that many of Yellowstone's
large mammals are most active during these cooler
parts of the day, especially in the warmer months.
Midday tends to slow things down, animals are
going to bed down, they're going to move into
timber, or it just becomes harder to spot them.
But that's an oversimplification of things. There's
another layer to all of this that you only start
to notice if you stick around a little longer.
Animals in Yellowstone don't just move with the
time of day, they move in cycles. Wolves, elk,
bison, and bears all have periods when they're
active, followed by periods when they rest or
disappear from view. I think we all kind of want
to do that, right? Or maybe that's just us introverts.
So research on Yellowstone wolves, for example,
shows that they alternate between traveling,
feeding, and resting throughout the day rather
than staying constantly active or constantly
napping during the daylight hours. You'll often
see a pack of wolves or a bear out in the open,
maybe feeding or just standing there. Someone
spots them, word spreads, and pretty soon there's
a line of cars and a cluster of people with binoculars
and spotting scopes. Tour groups show up and
pretty soon People are just standing around watching
the animal. Then, almost like clockwork, the
animals drift out of sight. From the road, it
feels like they're gone. People will wait around
for a bit, but eventually, everyone starts to
leave. The pullout empties. The assumption is
that the show is over. Then, not long after that,
most of the time, the animals come back out.
This happens all the time. I'm in the park all
the time, and I see it all the time. It happened
last week when I was in the park. Wolves were
out and visible in Slough Creek, and it seemed
like everyone in the park was there watching
them. Which, again, there's not a lot of people
in the park, so it was fine. The weather wasn't
ideal though, and the wolves were visible, but
from very far away. The wind picked up, the snow
started to fall again, and everyone started to
pack up and leave. I was leading a hiking tour
that day, and we watched everyone leave. and
then we started hiking down the closed Slough
Creek Road heading to the trailhead. As we hiked
on, we stopped and scanned just in case there
was anything out, and then off to our left, on
a ridge a few hundred yards away, was a lone
black wolf on the move, and it was only visible
to us. We watched it for a few minutes, and then
it was gone. We hiked on, had a great day, and
returned to the area. It was only 3 p .m. when
we got back to the spot where we had a good wolf
sighting earlier, and then we looked around and
didn't really see anything from our vantage point,
but we did see one person up on the hill scanning
and kind of pointing at something. So we went
up there and the wolves were once again visible.
We scanned and saw two wolves in the junction
of the Junction Butte Pack perfectly visible
to the naked eye wandering around. As we got
within sight of the main road, we watched as
tour groups and carloads of visitors rushed by,
not knowing that the wolves they struggled to
see earlier in the day were perfectly visible
in the warm sun. We were out there looking at
them, but because not everyone is crowded, they
didn't get to see them. Later I found out that
once that snow cleared up, they were visible
very quickly again, but everyone was gone. So...
This is not unique or random. It's part of that
natural rhythm of feeding resting and moving
through the landscape It's also why I push back
when other tour guides in the park Say that wildlife
like bears and wolves are not visible in the
middle of the day. There are people who are adamant
about that And yes sightings are not as common
But they're also not that rare. I had a conversation
with the tour guide Who was posting about how
not even to bother looking for wildlife in the
middle of the day And I pushed back because,
you know, some people, that's certainly time
that they can go look for wildlife. And they
said, well, I've never seen anything. The next
day, I was driving through the park and I had
a wolf walk out in the middle of the road, middle
of the day, 70 degree day in the middle of the
summer. And I got to see this lone wolf just
having a day, a couple of a sought and then drift
away. It's a matter of luck and timing. And that's
what makes Yellowstone awesome. So I'm definitely
not saying like always only go looking for wildlife
in the middle of the day or if something leaves
stay there all the time. But kind of trust your
gut or if you don't have anything else to do
hang out. There's also a case to be said about
just getting back in the car and seeing what
else you can see. There is no wrong way to see
Yellowstone's wildlife. Just know that every
choice you make impacts what you may or may not
see and it's all out of your control so never
stress it. If the Yellowstone powers that be
want you to have a good day and see things, then
you're going to. If it's not in the cards that
day, you're not going to see anything, and it's
okay. Now note there's also a human factor in
animal movement and visibility. Yellowstone wildlife
is not fully habituated to people, nor should
it be. Large crowds influence behavior. National
Park Service website notes that animals may change
how they use an area in response to disturbances,
even if it's subtle. Is there a barking dog in
the pullout? You might have the animals leave.
Are there kids screaming? Are there adults screaming?
Is it just loud from people honking horns or
car alarms going off or doors slamming? Those
things are going to impact animals. You're going
to notice this more in the shoulder season when
there's fewer people around. The ebb and the
flow become easier to see. In the summer, there's
just always noise. So it doesn't really seem
to impact them as much, it does, but it's not
as visible because they kind of get used to it
a little bit. But right now it's really easy
to see. You're going to see animals kind of stressed
about noise and leave and go out of view. That's
why when everyone leaves, they might come back
because there's less noise, there's less pressure.
For visitors, this is one of the most valuable
lessons you can take away. If you leave the second
things get quiet, you're probably going to miss
something. Some of my best moments happen after
that lull when people have already left. Knowing
this changes how you approach wildlife watching.
Instead of chasing sightings, start to slow down.
You stay put a little longer. You watch more
carefully. You watch more casually. You realize
that what looks like nothing happened is actually
just a pause before the next movement. Yellowstone
really rewards patience. The animals are still
there, moving through their own rhythms, whether
anyone is watching or not. If you give it time,
chances are good that they're going to come back
into view. And if they don't, you're still hanging
out in the beautiful landscapes of Yellowstone,
so it's hard to complain. My random Yellowstone
fact of the week. Bear management areas. This
was a request via email, so... Thank you for
submitting this and hopefully I explain it well.
So bear management areas or BMAs are one of those
things you might hear about when planning a spring
trip to Yellowstone National Park. I also impact
some summer movement but not a ton. They sound
like a really big deal and in some ways they
are but for the overwhelming majority of visitors
they end up having very little impact on what
you can actually do in the park. Each year, the
National Park Service puts these seasonal restrictions
in place in areas where bears are more likely
to be feeding or moving through. Most BMAs go
into effect around March 10th, right as grizzly
bears begin to emerge from denning. Adult males,
often called boars, are usually the first out,
followed by the females with cubs later in the
spring. After months without eating, bears are
trying to regain weight as quickly as possible,
often by feeding on winter -killed elk and bison.
Giving them space during this time is critical.
There are a few well -known areas where BMAs
impact visitation. Pelican Valley is probably
the one that most people know. There used to
be a bear management area located near the Grand
Prismatic overlooking out to Fairy Falls in the
spring, but because of bear shifting locations
that no longer is in effect. Pelican Valley is
one of the strictest places in the park and it's
usually closed to all travel until early July
because it's such an important grizzly habitat.
Other areas like Washburn and Firehole have a
mix of closures and limited access depending
on the situation. Most of these restrictions
stay in place until late June or July 1st though
the exact dates can shift a bit each year. The
main one in the interior right now is out by
Mary Mountain as well. That's where the Grand
Prismatic Overlook was part of that closure,
but Mary Mountain, you definitely don't want
to be going out there and shouldn't be until
it's open. Since bear management areas don't
really impact very many people, you can go to
places like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring,
the Grand Canyon, the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley,
all of those. Those are still fully accessible.
Roads are open, pullouts are open, and the main
attractions operate as usual. Even when it comes
to hiking, there's still plenty of options. A
few trails, like we're talking a handful at most,
might have time restrictions, but unless you're
specifically planning a backcountry route into
one of these areas, you won't run into closures
at all. And this is by design. The National Park
Service sets up these VMAs to protect the areas
that matter most to bears while keeping the park
open and accessible for visitors. It's a way
of balancing conservation with access, and it
works pretty well. There's also a safety angle.
Early spring is one of the most sensitive times
of the year, especially with bears feeding on
carcasses or moving with cubs. Keeping people
out of certain areas lowers the chances of close
encounters, which is better for everyone involved.
people, and bears. So if you're visiting this
time of year, it might be worth pulling up the
map of the bear management areas. You know, it's
interesting, but it's probably not going to impact
you that much. Check current conditions, take
a look at that map if you're heading out on a
hike, and pay attention to any posted signs.
That's the most important thing you can do. If
there's a bear frequenting an area, you're going
to see a sign that says bear frequenting area,
sometimes with a date and time and location.
If it's bad enough, they will close the trail.
This is what the park will do to keep everybody
and the bears safe and still allow you to have
an amazing time in the backcountry of Yellowstone.
The weather for the coming week. As always, this
is the best forecast I can give you for the whole
seven days. The sooner the days are to when I'm
recording this, the more accurate it's going
to be as we get to five, six, seven days out.
This is just going to work as a ballpark. Also,
I'm a little sad because this is the like last
time I get to do a weather report with only three
locations. I now have to add other places. So
weather reports getting just a little bit longer.
I mean, it's already longer because I'm doing
this rant. So anyway, here's the weather for
Lamar Valley this week on Thursday, high of 56.
Low of 28, 3 % chance of rain. Friday, high of
60, low of 35, 24 % chance of rain mostly in
the evening. Saturday, 57 and 35, with a 50 %
chance of rain, mostly in the afternoon. Sunday,
51, 31, 50 % chance of snow, less than an inch.
Monday, 45 and 29, 30 % chance of a quarter inch
of rain or snow. Tuesday 46 and 30 with a 23
% chance of precipitation and Wednesday 48 and
34 with a 46 % chance of some rain Gardener,
Montana on Thursday high of 59 low at 31 3 %
chance of rain Friday 63 and 38 with a 24 % chance
of rain in the afternoon evening Saturday 59
and 38 24 % chance of rain throughout the day
Sunday 52 and 32 with a 33 percent chance of
two hundredths of an inch of rain Monday 49 and
31 with a 39 percent chance about a quarter inch
of snow Tuesday 49 and 32 with a 24 percent chance
of precipitation Wednesday 51 and 35 with a 46
percent chance of four hundredths of an inch
of rain and finally Cook City, Montana On Thursday,
high of 50, low of 29, 5 % chance of rain. Friday,
54 and 36, 24 % chance of rain. Afternoon and
evening, just like everywhere else. Saturday,
52 and 34, with a 50 % chance of rain, about
a tenth of an inch. Sunday, wettest day, 46 and
28, 44 % chance of maybe a half inch of snow
or some heavy rain. Monday, High of 40, low of
25. 41 % chance about a quarter inch of snow
or rain. Tuesday, 43 and 27, with a 24 % chance
of some sort of precipitation. Wednesday, 44
and 31, with a 50 % chance about a half inch
of snow. So that's the weather forecast for the
week. Looks like a decent start to the weekend,
and then it's going to be cloudy and wet, but
still gorgeous. Go to the park. The snowpack
update. As of April 8th, the snowpack is around
78 % of normal for this time of year. The eastern
and northern ranges of the park are at 93 % of
normal, while the western and southern sides
are about 67 % of normal. Last year on this date,
we were averaging around 98 % of our normal level.
Road conditions. The only road open is the road
between Gardiner and Cook City this week. It's
going to change next week. Looks like the weather
is going to be pretty good. I don't expect any
closures to happen, so be aware of that construction
though. If you want up -to -date information
on the road conditions, call 307 -344 -2117 for
a recorded message, or you can sign up to receive
Yellowstone Road Alerts on your mobile phone
by texting 82190 to the number 888... 777 camping
information there's only one campground open
in the park right now and that's the mammoth
campground which is open year round there's also
campgrounds opening outside of the park if you're
looking at those or want to know about those
reach out to me happy to share the wildlife watching
update So wildlife watching right now, as you've
heard, is pretty good. It's been a slow couple
of days, but before that it was a very active
couple of days. So that's just kind of the nature
of how the park is. So right now you're gonna
see some bison hanging around, mammoth and gardener.
You're gonna see some elk and pronghorn out there
as well. And then as you get towards like Blacktail
Plateau, there's gonna be some... or blacktail
ponds there's going to be some bison and stuff
you're also then going to start seeing some black
bears potentially around that blacktail plateau
road it's closed right now but it's a good time
of the year to see some early ones there that
are by phantom lake there's some moose out by
cook city still uh wolves have just kind of been
hit and miss all over the place they might be
at hell roaring they might be visible out in
lamar or at slew creek or in little america so
you're just gonna have to drive and put in some
work to see those there's been some grizzlies
hanging out by lamar valley like the footbridge
area if you go out that way they're off in the
distance also there has been a grizzly that's
by junction butte and it's been really just hanging
out Pretty near the road, people got some really
good pictures just with their phones the other
day. You're going to have some Sanhok cranes
in the park. You're going to have some bluebirds,
western meadowlarks. You're going to be getting
a bunch of different other birds moving in migratory.
I did hear a little bit about otters being spotted
near the confluence, but those are so hit and
miss to see that they're there one day and then
they're not there for another two weeks. But
it's always worth a stop to kind of sit and scan
real quick. other than that bison babies are
being born little america and lamar is where
you're probably going to see those it's only
a couple right now but every day every week that
passes there's going to be more until we have
just that explosion of baby bison all around
um not really an explosion that would be awful
but you know it's it's a good time it's just
hit and miss and every day that passes is another
day that more bears are going to be out which
means that there's a potential for more carcasses
if the wolves are taking things down and then
the bears are going to go to the carcasses and
then you're going to have all this activity uh
bald eagles are all out it's great to see osprey
are coming back it's really cool it's a great
time of the year i absolutely love it if you
need to go into the park even for the day recommend
saturday probably or even sunday wouldn't be
bad But again, wildlife is just gonna be hit
-and -miss for a little bit just with the weather
systems moving in so put in some work at least
go from the hell -roaring area out to Round Prairie
and Pebble Creek and back a couple of times and
you should be able to see some good things Oh
big horn sheep have also been hanging out near
the hot springs north of the park Yellowstone
Hot Springs and also around the Tower Junction
area, especially Junction Butte. Trail alerts
and updates. There's no official trail alerts.
We're going to be getting those pretty soon as
more staffing comes in. They start hiking more.
Just know that Carry your bear spray be very
bear aware. They are out there This is not the
time you want to get too close to one You never
want to get too close to one. This is definitely
like a bad time to sneak up on a bear So be loud
carry your bear spray have it readily accessible
quickly accessible and know how to use it other
than that Enjoy it. It's great I'm gonna tell
you where to hike in just a second but if you're
looking for a hike that i'm not mentioning right
now this week swing down to hell roaring or do
lost lake those are my those are my tips all
right my truck of the week slew creek road and
trail As Yellowstone National Park starts to
transition into spring's opening phase, some
of the best experiences are actually happening
just before everything opens. Side roads that
are going to be open and soon busy with vehicle
traffic are still closed, and for a short window,
they turn into a quiet, walkable route into some
of the park's best wildlife habitat. One of these
best places right now, Slough Creek. Walking
the Slough Creek Road and continuing on the Slough
Creek Trail to First Meadow this time of the
year is something special. Once the road opens
to vehicles, the experience changes completely.
For now though, it's quiet, open, and incredibly
productive for wildlife. Lamar and Slough are
kind of those hand -in -hand best wildlife corridors,
especially for wolves, bears, and grazing animals.
I was out here last week leading a tour, as I
said before, and it delivered in a big way. We
saw wolves hiking along with a wide range of
other wildlife along the route. We also came
across a bison skull, moose antlers, and an elk
antler. It's the kind of place where you're constantly
reminded that this landscape is actively being
used by animals every day. It's also the trail
that I usually see my first bear sighting of
the year. Didn't see one this year or this last
trip. but guarantee that when I go out there
one of these times I'm going to see a grizzly
or some black bears. The route itself very simple
and makes for a great day. You park at the start
of Slough Creek Road and you walk down the road.
It's a gradual descent with a couple rolling
hills and there's plenty of opportunities to
scan hillsides and open terrain. After a few
miles you reach the trailhead where the Slough
Creek Trail continues into the backcountry. This
is where you want to go. You could walk down
to the campground. There will be some bear tracks
and stuff down there, but you want to go into
First Meadow. So hop on the trail and hike the
path that leads up and over a hill before dropping
into First Meadow. This meadow is the main destination
for most people this time of year. It's wide,
it's open, and it offers excellent visibility,
making it the perfect place to sit, have a snack,
and spend time watching the landscape. We did
just that. last week and saw some elk, saw tons
of bison, saw some cool birds, and then like
I said we saw bison skull, we found moose antlers,
it was awesome. There is a rocky outcropping
in the first meadow. If you're hiking on the
trail it's going to be on your left once you
get there. There's a patrol cabin on the right,
you'll want to go to the top of the rocks on
the left and sit and scan. No round trip that
this is about nine miles with 900 feet of elevation.
But it's manageable and it feels like you've
gone somewhere. I've written about this route
in so much detail in my hiking guidebook to the
Greater Yellowstone ecosystem that if you're
interested in finding more hikes like this or
more about this trail, reach out to me, pick
up a copy of this book. It's a great resource
to have along. Slough Creek itself is also well
known for its clear water and native Yellowstone
cutthroat trout. uh this drainage is one of the
park's premier backcountry fisheries which speaks
to the overall health and importance of the ecosystem
here well it's not as good as it used to be if
you talk to anybody who fishes this area it's
still pretty cool once you're in this meadow
it's just a cool place to hang out this isn't
a place to rush through You know, wolves move
through this area regularly, bears use the same
corridors, elk, bison, and pronghorn are common.
You're not just hiking to a viewpoint, you're
stepping into one of the most active wildlife
areas in the park. Now this also means that you
need to stay alert. Spring and early summer bring
a lot of animal activity here, especially for
bears emerging from their dens. Bison also use
this road and trail a lot. So know that you need
to stay 100 yards at all times from bears and
wolves, even if they're walking towards you,
walk away. Keep that same 100 yard distance at
all times. Same goes for other wildlife with
a 25 yard viewing distance. If a bison walks
towards you, keep a 25 yard or more viewing distance.
If any animal does, if any animal approaches
you, that doesn't mean that it's going to be
friendly and you can just stand there. keep moving
away from it i say this because i see this happen
all the time and then people are like i didn't
know i thought it was coming up to say hi and
i'm like are you serious it was a bull elk in
the middle of the rut like don't do this it's
not safe um you know just be smart if animals
are on the trail you're gonna have to walk around
them off trail and if they're blocking the trail
on the way out maybe you just have to turn around
to do something else but that's just what it's
like hiking in yellowstone Now, what makes the
experience of Slough Creek standout right now
is the timing. In a matter of weeks, the road's
going to open, vehicles return, and the feel
of the area is going to shift. There's a wolf
den that has been used multiple years out here,
and that road that you'll walk down that has
no one else on it will have hundreds of cars
soon. This is a quiet, peaceful, awesome area
that I absolutely love, and I think you will
too. All right, that's it for this week's episode.
Next week... You know what I'm gonna say. I'm
gonna return with all the information you need
to have a good week in the park, including wildlife,
weather, and trail updates, and the opening of
the roads. Until then, really consider booking
a tour with me. I enjoy this podcast a lot, and
I know a lot of you do, and if you're headed
to the park, it'd mean a lot if you join me for
a hike. If you can't do that, consider picking
up a guidebook of mine. Nearly everybody that
buys a book thanks me for... Having those books
make their trip so well Really happy to help
you out reach out to me. And if you're coming
to the park again, reach out to me Let me know
maybe we'll meet up. I'll say hi. I will sign
your phone No, I'm not gonna do any of that,
but I will say hi. So until next week happy trails
Abrupt ending! This week in Yellowstone is brought
to you by The Outdoor Society. That's my company.
It's just me, I do this, it's a labor of love.
If you like it, tell your friends, rate and review
it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening
and I hope to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright
2026, baby!